Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler

Scientific Name: Helopsaltes certhiola

Malay Name: Cekup-Tikus Berjalur Biasa

Chinese Name: 小蝗莺

Alternative Name(s): Rusty-rumped Warbler

Range: Found from Mongolia, Siberia to northern China and winters to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: certhiola, sparsimstriatus, centralasiae, rubescens, minor.

Size: 14-15 cm

Identification: Resembles Lanceolated Warbler but larger with more rufescent upperparts, streaked crown/nape, bold black stripes on mantle and lacks dark streaks on flanks and undertail-coverts. Juvenile like adult but has faint streaks at lower throat.

Similar looking species: Lanceolated Warbler, Zitting Cisticola

Habitat: Tall reeds, grass and other vegetation near freshwater wetlands.

Behaviour/Ecology: Call is markedly different from Lanceolated Warbler, consisting of rapidly delivered, well-structured musical warbling phrases.

Local Status: Uncommon migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Sengkang Riverside Park, Kranji Marsh and Lorong Halus

Featured articles:

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Helopsaltes certhiola
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2013 to Jun 2023
Peak week Dec 24-Dec 30
Early date 01 Sep 2007
Late date 29 May 1982
A fairly common inhabitant of dense reedbeds, but more often heard than seen. Most frequently observed from Oct to Apr.
Juvenile Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at Sengkang. Photo Credit: Alan Ng
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at sengkang. Photo Credit: See Toh Yew Wai
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at sengkang. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at Sengkang Floating Wetland. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler at Sengkang. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Helopsaltes certhiola. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22714664A94423321.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler. Retrieved on May 1, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/pallass-grasshopper-warbler.

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